


Burn Bright

by McCrying



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, M/M, a lil bit of angst if u squint, but terribly done, pls, so many fire metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 01:27:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9944273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McCrying/pseuds/McCrying
Summary: Albus Severus Potter was a fire. He was strong; he had a presence about him that you couldn’t ignore.





	

Most days, Albus would remind Scorpius of candlelight. The way he sat in the corner, minding his own business resembled that of candle. During these times, Albus was soft, calm. He would do his homework with little to no distractions – aside from an occasional discussion prompt from Scorpius. He flickered slightly as he’d move to reach for more ink, or turn a page in a textbook, unfailing in capturing the attention of the blonde boy sat next to him. He was constantly in Scorpius’ peripheral vision, ever present. He radiated a soft glow, a gentle warmth that Scorpius would breathe with a quiet sigh. 

Occasionally, the young Potter would be best described as a campfire. The way he smiled was bright causing Scorpius to lean in closer to the shorter boy, but not quite enough for them to touch. Rarely would Scorpius’ shoulder accidentally brush Albus’ and if it did, both the boys would spring apart like they were electrocuted, or burned.   
In his campfire moments, Albus smelled like adventure. He would entice Scorpius with random cracks of laughter, burning brighter with each passing moment. At these times, Albus was his warmest. Scorpius would fill with the urge to encase the boy in a hug, though he was wary to, as Albus’ reaction was always unpredictable.

Unpredictability was another trait that Albus shared with fire. Scorpius has learned that a flame is simple enough to control but as soon as it catches, it becomes uncontainable. The two bickered often over pointless topics – namely where the other’s toothbrush is, Scorpius never knew why Albus blamed him for his own misplacing of his toothbrush.   
Sometimes the arguments were anticlimactic, resulting in Albus getting worked up only to flicker down to a calm soon after. A few times, Albus exploded in a fit of rage, glowering over such a simple thing as a hole in his shirt. Scorpius knew the best option for his own health and safety was to leave Albus until he was breathing properly, and had composed himself.

Once, Albus was so unbelievably angry that he snapped at Scorpius. Scorpius felt the waves of pure heat spilling from Albus as his friend turned to him, face red and fists clenched, shaking, at his sides. On that day Albus screamed and screamed, becoming complete wildfire. Scorpius flinched as Albus continued to fuel his own fury. He seemed to grow, and expand, not only in physicality as he stood tall and puffed his chest, but also in his emotions. His rage leaked from him like heavy, black smoke to the point where Scorpius could not breathe due to the thickness of the air surrounding him. Scorpius sat there, not daring himself to do anything, in case of adding to Albus’ anger. He sat there and listened, until his friend seemed to shrink back to reality in a flood of his own tears. That night, Albus was the weakest flame Scorpius had ever laid his eyes on.

Although Albus was a fire, Scorpius never felt like he was destructive. Perhaps he had offended Scorpius on a few occasions with some spiteful comments, usually aimed at his (fake) ‘infatuation’ with Rose Granger-Weasley, but Scorpius never felt in danger. He was cautious but never afraid. See, fires are warm and that is exactly what Albus is. It was a constant burden to Scorpius whenever he couldn’t feel the other boy’s heat, it put him on edge. He felt much more comfortable in the arms of his friend. 

Maybe Scorpius always felt a little more than friendship from Albus’ warmth. It was home to him, a safe place that he knew he was always welcome. Albus was his fireplace. Scorpius could sit next to him and read for hours, the only giveaway of his best friend’s presence was his breathing, the way the sound created a warmth within Scorpius’ chest. Scorpius always felt closest to Albus in situations like these. He never wanted to leave his home.

It was after they had matured slightly that Scorpius discovered a new side to Albus’ fire. The way that Albus heated up, completely smothering Scorpius in his heat, was enough to completely burn the paler boy. This fire wasn’t red like the wildfire, but rather a more magenta colour, a colour of passion. Scorpius was never afraid of Albus’ fire, but at the first witness of this new flame, Scorpius was utterly terrified. He knew he was unexperienced and he knew that Albus was too, in the back of his mind, but that didn’t stop the nervous jitters crawling through his veins.

Albus managed to suffocate this fear from Scorpius, however, with his overwhelming heat. This flame, Scorpius could touch. It was hot. Albus’ skin burned his own, causing his fingertips to sting with every surface they touched of the dark haired boy. This fire didn’t have smoke, but it was intoxicating. Scorpius wanted more. Passion burned through Albus’ lips as he tugged at his best friend’s hair to pull their faces together. Scorpius was entranced in the pinks, purples and reds that seeped from every pore on Albus’ body. It was the most beautiful Scorpius had ever seen Albus. 

Scorpius knew that Albus’ fire was unpredictable. He knew that he could get burned, leaving him with scars for life. He knew all this but he never wanted to leave the other boy’s side. Maybe he might get burned in the heat of the moment, but it was all worth it. Scorpius was in love with the flames of Albus and felt cold whenever they were apart. Whether he be candlelight, a campfire or a wildfire. Whether he be a fireplace or a burning passion, Scorpius knew he wanted to be there too. He wanted to feel the flickers of Albus on his skin, he wanted to hear the cracks in his voice. Scorpius knew he wanted to be there when Albus dims to an ember, hopefully decades in the future, but he wanted to be there. 

And he was there.

**Author's Note:**

> woah okay this came out of nowhere honestly i don't like it but i'm posting anyway  
> i think the mood changes too much and not smoothly at all but idc
> 
> literally it's my first day of uni tomorrow and imma bout ready to throw myself off a bridge help


End file.
